


Blue Rose

by czerelion



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Helluva Boss (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27974432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/czerelion/pseuds/czerelion
Summary: Just an idea I got recently for characters from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss to have a place, where they can talk about what troubles them. If you want to be a part of this writing experiment, read until the end of the first chapter and follow the instructions below.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

There are many weird and different places in Hell, some are full of cannibals, some are filled with nothing but screams and nightmares, though after spending some time in Hell nothing truly freaks a sinner out like a place which is completely free of such nastiness.

There are only a few of those that exist there and most of them are build just to lure the newly arrived residents of Pentagram city into a trap. Tens of thousands have entered these places only to have their organs stolen or be used as playthings, but there is one small exception called Behemoth's Playground.

Behemoth's Playground or just Playground as most call it, is an area about the size of the Coney Island and probably the only district in the entirety of Hell that can be considered as truly luxurious. There are stores, restaurants, bars and even a few office buildings.

Most people are confounded, when they first lay their eyes on this small yet thriving community. How could something like this exist in such a place for more than a century now? And there is a simple answer to that question.

Blue Rose pub and its owner Blue Benny.

The legend says that Blue Benny appeared in Hell back in 1882 as a tall and chubby demon with light blue skin, two short horns and a big black beard styled into friendly mutton chops. One day he moved into the Playground which back then was just another smouldering area full of ruins and destruction from the recent extermination. He picked a building, buried its original owner, whom he found dead inside and began a three-month long renovation process at the end of which, the two-story building turned into a proper pub.

At first there were only a few customers and the alcohol served there could make even a moonshiner blind for a while, but then the impossible happened. One day Lucifer the king of Hell himself walked in and heavy tension fell on the place, yet Benny was unaffected and served the devil as he would any other customer.

Lucifer finished his drink and lit himself a cigar and that's when then the proverbial shit hit the fan.

"Sir, as you might have noticed, when you walked here, this is a smoke-free pub and I need to ask you to put that thing out." Benny said calmly and without a hint of fear, Lucifer however just smiled and sent a puff of smoke directly into the pubkeeper's face. In most other instances, that would be, where the story ends, but no one, not even Lucifer could predict, what would happen next.

Benny quickly snatched the devil's cigar out of his mouth and swiftly extinguished it in a glass, which he was just cleaning.

When other customers saw this event take place, silence overtook the entire scene and once they noticed the anger on Lucifer's face, they all stood up and quickly left the building, with Benny shouting "Alright lads, I'll put it on your tab!" as he watched them run away.

The group of patrons watched from the outside as blinding lights began to shine ominously through the windows and smoke began to drift out from under the closed door, but after a few seconds it all stopped, then there was more silence.

They stood and waited there for what was about to transpire for maybe thirty long minutes, before the door finally opened and the king of hell came out with a relaxed smile on his face and walked away down the street.

There was and still is this custom in Hell, that when someone dies, their property is up for grabs for anyone who finds it first and so naturally every single demon ran inside to take anything they could only to see Benny still behind bar cleaning glass after glass with the same calm expression as if nothing out of the ordinary transpired there.

Unsurprisingly they were all shocked to see the pubkeeper still intact and they flogged around him to ask what happened after they left. The blue-skinned demon just slowly looked up from his work before speaking.

"We talked, he paid, and he left unlike you lot." He answered nonchalantly, before putting the last glass away to dry on a dishrag.

Once they heard this, they of course wanted details and Benny was bombarded with questions from all sides most of which concerned his survival and mental state, but his stern look soon silenced everyone.

"It is not a secret if it is known by three people." He said those now legendary words firmly and refused to discuss this event any further.

The word of this event quickly spread all over Hell and many soon wished to visit the pub, where the devil was so rudely disrespected, and the legend soon began to bring in more and more people. The success of this establishment soon led to a wave of renovations in the area and many new businesses opened.

The pub was renamed "Blue Rose" a name fitting for something which in the eyes of many shouldn't exist anymore. Over time, the quality of both the alcohol and furniture in the inn improved, Benny even started offering food and before long he found a cook and a few waitresses to help him run it.

The place became so iconic and legendary that no one ever dared to charge the bearded guy protection money and it was also never touched by any ongoing turf war. The Rose became a neutral ground where gangs and mobs settled their feuds and sometimes even a sanctuary for those who feared for their safety.

Benny however became the main attraction. Not only did he forbid smoking, he also made sure that there would be no guns and no drug deals going on in his establishment. With these policies, Blue Rose became the most sought-after pub in the Pentagram City. It was probably the only place in Hell where you could feel safe and enjoy a bit of normalcy.

Even Lucifer visited the place a few times for a drink, but luckily there was no one stupid enough to ask him, what happened all those years ago.

Benny turned into a sort of a celebrity but was still grounded and approachable enough. This started a weird trend in Hell.

People would come from far and wide to share their troubles, stories and sometimes even deepest secrets with the pubkeeper and they knew, that what they said would always stay between them and Benny.

And that is the story of the Blue rose and its owner. To this day he still wakes up at 6 AM only to open his business at eight and to lend an ear to anyone who needs it.

* * *

_**And now it's up to you my dear readers to decide, who will enter the Rose and discuss their thoughts with Benny, write your suggestions in the comments/review section and I hope to see you again soon.** _


	2. Octavia's New Year's eve

The New Year’s Eve in Hell was always an interesting sight. Many of the sinners and imps left the safety of their homes just to celebrate and watch the dozens of parades and millions of fireworks that would be illegal anywhere else.

Octavia found herself walking past one such parade, yet her spirits were not improved one bit by the celebration. She left the palace in search of some peace after her parents started arguing again, yet it was hard to find something like that, when there were literally millions of creatures running around the streets and after the eighth time someone offered to sell her some drugs she’s had enough.

She spent the next fifteen minutes wandering around aimlessly looking for some open joint, where she could find some serenity and sort her thoughts and then he saw it.

Most establishments had a sign saying at which time they would open their doors after the celebration, but one still had the lights turned and a “welcome” sign on its window.

She recalled someone talking about this pub in the news, it was something about the oldest still running establishments of Pentagram City.

The building was small compared to both the cafe to its right and the jewellery shop to its left, its navy-blue walls sparkled invitingly from all the pyrotechnics in the street and as she entered the atmosphere immediately changed.

The shouting and laughing from the street disappeared and was replaced by the gentle murmuring coming from the few tables in the back that were still occupied and some music softly playing in the background, which she didn’t quite recognize, but it still made her feel some nostalgia.

Octavia took a seat at an empty table and pulled her headphones out, when she saw the bartender approach.

“Howdy there, lass. It’s been some time since I last saw you.” The tall blue-skinned demon said gently as he pulled out a small black notepad. “Octavia, right?”

“You know me?” She asked a bit confused. The owl had no memory of ever coming to this place, yet she found something familiar about the demon.

“Sure, I do. Your pops brought you here a lot when you were still a chick, always all too happy to show you to everyone, so what will you have?” Benny asked and tapped a little pencil on his notepad, not failing to notice, just how her face fell when he mentioned her father.

“Something dark and bitter like my soul…” The goth girl answered slowly and slightly hung her head in frustration.

“Um, okay, I can do that, but could you be a dear and come to the bar? My leg’s been bothering me today and I don’t wanna spill your drink.”

Octavia sighed and got back on her feet before following the slightly taller man back to the bar. She took a seat at a barstool across from Benny, who grabbed an empty tall glass.

She watched with interest as a brand-new pair of shadowy hands appeared next to his regular ones, before flying away like two large ravens into the kitchen just behind the corner. They returned just a second later, but it happened way too fast for her to tell what they were carrying.

“So how is the old Stolas doing, lass?” Benny asked casually as his actual hands disappeared behind the bar moving at blinding speed just out of sight.

“Good…” She said dismissively, not really wanting to discuss her current messed up family dynamic with a complete stranger. The demon in question just raised his eyebrow a bit before returning back to his work.

“That’s why you’re here? Alone, instead of watching the fireworks with your folks?”

“That’s none of your…” She wanted to argue with him, but a loud and sudden racket of a blender interrupted her mid-sentence.

 _Just what the hell Is he doing?_ She thought. But before Octavia could ask the noise stopped and after hearing him pour something, Benny pulled out the same tall glass, which was now filled with some light pink mixture and had a straw sticking out of it. Next, he grabbed a can of whipped cream to give the drink a fancy white hat, which he then decorated with a red cherry, a pinch of homemade chocolate sprinkles and a tiny sparkler.

The young owl regained her ability to speak only after he lit the small firework.

“What the hell is that?!” She asked in shock, while pointing a feathered finger at the sparkling drink accusingly.

“This, lass, is the perfect strawberry milkshake, made from actual strawberries and vanilla ice cream, just like you ordered.” He said as he tossed the now empty tub of ice cream into the trash bin.

“If this is a joke, it’s not funny at all.” Octavia said angrily as she gave the demon her best stink eye.

The demon scratched his beard lazily and met her eyes but smirked just a moment later. “Haha… you are still the same.”

“If you just want to make a fun of someone… Umpf!?” She tried to speak but the straw found its way in her mouth, with one the black hands holding it. The dark-haired demon had timed it perfectly and the straw entered her mouth just as she was about to take a breath, which made the sweet liquid splash right on her tongue.

Her first instinct was to spit the thing out but before she could Octavia froze when her taste-buds felt the familiar flavour. It made her remember something, which she had forgotten long ago.

-13 years earlier-

“Okay Via, say cheese for daddy.” Stolas said as he held up his camera and pointed it directly at his daughter.

“CHEESE!” She bellowed as he finally took the photo. The incredibly tall royal-looking owl had to hold back tears of happiness, when he looked at the instantly printed photo of his child in a booster seat holding her small cute feathery hands in the air with a crazy smile of excitement on her face.

“Your order’s here.” The bartender said as he walked over to their table holding a tray with two big strawberry milkshakes.

“Oh, look at that, my owlet. Your drink is here! What do we say?” Stolas asked softly.

“Thank you!” She exclaimed as the drink was set on the table in front of her.

“That’s my little star-fire!” He said as he reached over the table to give her head a few quick but gentle caresses, before he bent the straw on her drink, so she could reach it better. After seeing his daughter take a few quick sips of her drink he sat down and brought his own glass to his beak.

The flavour was so sweet and creamy yet still a bit sour from all those real strawberries. Stolas didn’t regret lending his grimoire to the bartender one bit, this cocktail was simply magnificent. Yet he was interrupted from enjoying his beverage, when he heard giggling from the other side of the table.

“Daddy, you have a beard!” His daughter pointed out before again giggling uncontrollably.

The owl looked down on himself and saw the long thick strip of sweet white foam stuck to his face feathers. It was always extremely hard to get something this sweet and sticky out of his feathers and he felt angry at himself for not using a straw, but then he got an idea.

“Oh dear, you are right Via! Whatever will I do?” Stolas said thoughtfully as he stood up, but this time with a silly smile also plastered on his face. He quickly closed the distance between himself and his daughter and then gently picked her up.

“Would you like a beard too? Give daddy a smooch!” He playfully commanded and the next few minutes were filled only with both laughing like mad and playfighting until they were both sporting a white goatee.

-Back in the present-

“So, what do you think?” The barman asked bringing the young lady from her land of nostalgia. Once her pleasant memory got disrupted, the reality fell on her like large boulder.

_It’s all wrong._

_It will never be like this again._

_It’s ruined._

The depressing thoughts welled up in her mind and it somehow became too much for her to handle. Out of nowhere her eyes felt swollen and few quiet tears silently escaped from them and landed on the countertop.

“Oh my… I didn’t expect I would lose my touch with alcohol-free substances this quickly, I’m sorry about that lass.” Benny said as he heard the tears hit the hard wood, one of his dark hands then appeared to give the lady a neatly folded white tissue, which she accepted.

“Hey three more beers and a vodka, chief!” One of the demon customers yelled from the table in the back where they were all sitting and playing cards. Normally a waitress would take care of that, but they had the holidays off and so he sent the beverages softly floating through the air, using his helper hands. Benny was way too interested in this situation to do it himself, which was a rare thing.

“Thanks… but it’s not your fault.” Octavia admitted sadly as she delicately wiped away her tears. She took a few deep breaths to calm her mind before speaking again.

“It’s my dad…he…he’s got a lover.” She finally forced out.

“Well, knowing your pops, I can’t say I expected that.” The pubkeeper admitted as he poured himself a stiff drink.

“Right? And at the top of that it’s just some total dickhead.” She said quietly.

“I see, that’s got to be tough, huh?”

“You don’t know the half of it... today mom caught him flirting with his boyfriend again and I bet they are still screaming at each other.” She said as another small tear escaped her eye.

“And that’s why you are here, right now, isn’t it, lass?” Benny asked only to receive a small sad nod as confirmation.

“Do your parents even know, that you are here right now?” He asked with a bit more firmness in his tone.

“It’s not like they care either way...” She said as few more tears left her eyes. The taller demon had to hold back a sigh of utter exasperation.

_Children these days..._

“I mean, my own dad probably doesn’t even love me anymore…” She shakily forced out as first real sniffles finally erupted and shook her entire body. It hurt to say it and it was something she was afraid of more than anything.

Octavia long lost her illusions, that her parents’ marriage was born out of love and compassion. It was probably instead something her grandparents arranged years before the two of them even knew each other.

Maybe that’s why her mother always felt so distant to her, she always spoke so formally to everyone, even her own daughter. She would even go as far as to say that the only reason why, she is so freaking out, is because her dad’s scandalous relationship was with a commoner and that it would reflect on her family’s legacy.

Yet her dad was always the one that would find any excuse to spend time with her, play with her and it never mattered who was watching what kind of silly nonsense they were up to. Which is also why so many of her greatest memories were with his father.

Octavia never really had a chance to make any friends. Everyone she has ever met was either a rich pompous idiot trying to feel like royalty by spending time with her family, some arrogant prick from an actual noble family or some commoner servant who would never approach her, fearing her mother’s wrath.

But once again, her dad was always there for her, whenever she felt sad, angry or scared and he could always make her feel just a little better, but now it was almost like he was a completely different person. One who was always on the phone calling up some stupid imp asshole and saying real nasty stuff when he thought that there was no one close enough to hear him.

Benny twirled his facial hair as he watched Octavia go through her inner turmoil. But then an idea struck him.

“Wanna make sure, lass?” He asked only to receive a depressed look in return.

“How? It’s not like you can just do a spell and find out…”

“Don’t underestimate me, lass. Although I will need to borrow your phone.” The bartender said as two of those weird hands once again appeared, this time in front of her. Both of them were open and beckoning her.

“Why would you need my phone?” She asked searching for any sort of deception on the demon’s face, however she was met with nothing but an expression showing absolute and complete honesty.

“Because truth always needs a payment.”

Right now, Octavia felt like an emotional mess and her mind was not in a state where she would be able to think logically about any proposal. The only thing she saw was an opportunity to finally know for sure, how her dad felt about her. And so, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone only to hand it over into the magical floating hand a second later.

She never expected the sound of crumbling plastic and breaking glass and watched in horror as her phone was crushed into dust.

“What the-YOU DICKHEAD, I HAD MY SONGS IN THERE!” Octavia yelled when she saw the state of her phone, once it was dropped on the counter.

The pubkeeper just lazily rolled up his sleeve and checked his watch. “I give him five minutes… Finish your drink in the meantime, before it turns into a melted mess.” Benny said before leaving the bar for the kitchen and the owl just watched with disbelief.

-Meanwhile at the I.M.P. office building-

“Easy, easy…” Blitzo quietly said as he placed the doggy treat on his adopted daughter’s snout. Loona was currently passed out drunk on the office couch which gave her him the rare opportunity to make a magnificent photo like this.

This effort took him more than half an hour already, but he was finally happy with the result. His daughter had two small flags sticking out of her ears a party horn in her mouth, a pair of star-shaped sunglasses on her eyes and now even a dog biscuit perfectly balancing on her snout.

He picked up his phone, set it in the right angle, checked the settings just to be absolutely sure, that there would be no flash this time, but just as he was about to finally take the photo the door flew open with a loud crash leaving a dent in the wall.

“Fucking debt collectors!” He swore, turned around and pulled out his fancy flintlock pistol. He was ready to start shooting, until he saw the most terrifying sight of his entire life.

Stolas entered the room already half-way into his demon form with his wings spread out behind him. Even compared to his original size, he was extremely massive, just barely able to fit through the door.

The large creature didn’t waste any time, it just marched right over to the imp, who was now beginning to shake.

_If he’s pissed or horny, I’m so fucking dead…_

A large feathery hand with razor sharp claws fell heavily on Blitzo’s shoulder, which only amplified the size difference. The creature then began to speak in the most horrifying deep loud voice.

**”Where is my Grimoire, Blitzo?”**

The imp just shakily pointed towards his office and as if by a spell, the gigantic horrifying creature completely lost any and all interest in him and headed for the small room. Then there were some unnatural sounds, blinding flash of light and then once again silence.

Blitzo waited for a minute to make sure, that Stolas has really disappeared and surprisingly, when he checked his office everything was still in place, well except for the magic book.

“Well, at least my ass survives…”

Though his calm moment was soon disrupted, when he heard the party horn go off. Apparently Loona began sucking on the plastic instrument in her sleep, which nearly made the imp jump out his skin.

-Back in the bar-

There was a heavy knock on the door, that made even the bottles on the shelves shake.

“Ah, three minutes and twenty seconds flat.” Benny commented as he once again checked his watch. After a short while the door opened and a very large owl stuck his head inside menacingly, his four gigantic eyes scanning the scene keenly, until their sight landed on his daughter sucking a strawberry milkshake with a straw.

The short tense moment passed once Stolas changed back into his regular form and rushed inside. It took him only a second to get through the door, close the distance and give Octavia, who was sitting on a barstool a crushing hug.

“Oh god, sweetie I was so worried! Your phone suddenly went completely off the grid. What happened?!” He exclaimed; relief heavy in his voice.

“Hi Stolas, sorry about that. It was my fault, your daughter was just lending me her phone, so I could call you, but I guess I still have no control of my powers.” Benny chimed in as he pointed at the crumbled phone, which was still on the counter.

“D-dad, how did you even know?” Octavia spoke quietly, her breathing still a bit restricted by the hug’s pressure.

The large owl looked a bit guiltily at his little princess.

“Um, well Via you see, when I bought you that phone, I may have had this chip installed…”

“A chip?!”

“Yes. The fellow who did it, told me that it would help me find you anywhere and just now the darn thing went off with this as your last known address a-and I panicked a bit…” Stolas said quickly and then took a break, to collect his thoughts.

“Look Via, I-I’m sorry, I know you are a big girl now, but I am still worried sick about you…” The larger bird admitted and brought her face into his neck fluff a bit more tightly, until he felt a few of her tears softly dampen his feathers.

“Don’t worry about it dad…” She said softly and a small relieved smile spread over her face. She already felt much better.

They spent a few more moments in the Blue Rose, just talking about anything that came to mind and after that, they left the establishment and went to watch what was left of the fireworks.

Benny spent the rest of the night tending to his bar thinking about his own family, until one of his patrons invited him for a game of cards. It was an invitation he swiftly accepted.

* * *

**I want to thank the archiveofourown user TrueKindaLove19 for this wonderful suggestion, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, mate. Any and all criticism is welcome.**

**Next up is Alastor, so…** **Stay Tuned…**


	3. Alastor's new job

"And then Franky says go suck on ya grandmama's tits and the little fuckin' bastard ran away cryin'." One of the demons finished his story with a laugh.

The Blue Rose was quite busy today. An entire crime family was here to celebrate some important business deal they made with some overlord.

Normally employees would feel on edge around this type of clientele, but after Benny used his special hands to frisk every one of them before they even had a chance to come in, it became much easier for his waitresses to relax.

"Three more Manhattans, six beers and a scotch on the rocks." relayed Bella, one of the waitresses to the barkeeper, who just sighed and got to work.

This was so boring. You would think that gangsters would be at least a bit prone to experiment with their beverages, but it was pretty much these three same drinks all evening.

_Well, at least the girls are getting some good tip money._ He thought as he sent his employee back with the drinks, which the clients requested.

She however soon had a lot of trouble trying to stop the drinks from spilling, when the radio next to her turned on by itself. The room was soon filled by the happy tunes of Hula Girl by Sol Hoopii, but the song quickly became more and more distorted as the time went on and just as Benny was about to send one of his hands to turn the blasted thing off, it stopped and the door opened.

All of the customers watched in horror as one of the most notorious overlords in Hell waltzed right through the door with a spring to his step. Alastor giddily made his way to the counter and sat down on the bar stool and gave Benny who was now looking angrily at him an innocent smile.

"Alastor, how many times have I told you to cut that radio interference crap out? It creeps out my customers and I ain't too fond of it myself either." Benny reminded the radio demon a glanced at the tables filled with previously celebrating mob members, who now silently stared at the pair, ready to run at the first sight of trouble.

Alastor quickly understood Benny and after a small wave to the other clientele started shouting.

"Greetings everyone, I apologise for interrupting your merriment, please don't let my bad habit spoil your fun, in fact allow me to order you all a drink!" Alastor exclaimed and then theatrically slapped a thick wad of cash on the bar countertop.

After this show of charity, the crowd of mobsters relaxed once again as they all began placing new orders. After a few short minutes the atmosphere shifted back to its original state.

"Well Al, that was awfully generous of you, what's the occasion?" Benny asked as he let out a sigh of relief, glad he probably wouldn't lose too many customers tonight.

"Ha ha, I just landed a fun new job, my dear fellow!" Alastor answered excitedly and his toothy smile only widened.

"You doing 'screamterviews' again? I never thought I would see the day... so which frequencies should I avoid from now on?" The bartender remembered when he first experienced one of Alastor's radio shows himself, it was awfully hard to fall asleep after that.

"Oh, it's nothing like that, you are looking at the new Hazbin Hotel co-manager!" The radio demon happily clarified.

"Hazbin? Can't say I heard that name before..." Benny said as he reached for the small bottle of Peychaud's Bitters, ready to start making a Vieux Carré for Alastor, but stopped just a moment before his fingers made contact with the little flask.

"Say Alastor, you are from the Big Easy aren't ya?" The barman asked when a new idea made its home in his head.

"Why yes, the wonderful city of New Orleans was my home for more than thirty years! Why do you ask?" Alastor inquired as he patiently waited for his drink.

"Well if you are really looking to celebrate something special, I might have just the thing for you. Give me a minute." Benny said before he quickly disappeared into the storage room just next to the bar. The radio demon watched with interest, but his eyes widened once the other man returned with an ornate metal bowl connected to shallower one under it by three metal legs with a rather strange looking ladle sticking out of it.

"Is that really…"

"Yes, an authentic Café Brûlot bowl. I got it last month and completely forgot about it." The pubkeeper admitted with a smirk.

"So, what do you say, Alastor? Will you be my lab rat for this experiment?" he asked before grabbing a large and probably expensive bottle of vintage brandy from the top shelf.

"Ha ha ha! My friend, you never fail to impress me!"

With those words of encouragement, Benny got to work. Normally it would be a true test of skills even for some of the best barmen, that the world had to offer, to prepare such a complicated and dangerous drink while also keeping up with other orders, but thanks to his many hands, he had no problem doing just that.

A small but slowly growing audience began to assemble around the counter once Benny set both bowls on fire and started pouring the slowly burning alcohol over an orange peel back into the vessel.

After a while the blue-skinned demon stopped and dropped the peel, which was previously held by a fork into the bowl and slowly poured an entire kettle full of coffee into the burning mixture until its flames were vanquished. The final product filled the entire pub with wonderful aroma and the mobsters began to feel the need to approach its source only to be stopped by Alastor's menacing presence.

After the small show, the blue-skinned demon picked up the ladle and poured a small cup of the dark liquid for the radio demon and one for himself.

"Cheers, mate." Benny said as he raised the cup.

"To your health, friend." Alastor responded and mirrored the demon's gesture and they took a sip.

The radio turned on once again, but this time, gentle tunes of Armstrong's What a Wonderful World filled the room with no distortion whatsoever.

"It's simply wonderful, my friend! The harmony of pure flavour it brings to the tongue…it's perfect!" Alastor said excitedly once he tasted the delicious liquid. Benny was also impressed by the drink, he has heard a few people talk about it, but to taste it on his own was an incredible experience even for a skilled barman like him.

"Excuse me, sir…" And just like that two things happened at once, the calm music stopped and Alastor's head unnaturally snapped back with a loud crack to face the demon who approached him.

The much younger sinner took a quick step back in shock and the entire atmosphere became filled with fear. The radio demon stared at the mobster with wide unblinking eyes and an ever-present toothy smile expectantly.

The young demon felt cold sweat run down his back and a chill up his spine. He didn't intend to gain the overlord's attention, he just wanted to ask the blue demon about the, which drink they were currently savouring. Now however, his lips remained shut and frozen, his hands were shaking fiercely, and his knees felt unstable like never before.

"What is it, lad?" the barman calmly asked as he put down his cup. He seemed unaffected by the complete change in the collective mood.

"I-I-I was just thinkin' about… yo- you know…the drink." The demon asked as he shakily pointed at the cup currently sitting at the counter.

"Oh, do you want to try some too, lad?" Benny asked whilst straightening one of his white classy gloves that slipped just a little from his wrist, when he put the cup down.

"S-sure."

It's interesting how something as simple as a cup of a really good coffee can change the situation for the better. After being served the drink, the mobster left the dangerous vicinity near Alastor and after getting scolded by some of the more experienced occupants of Hell amongst his family, he actually tried the drink, only to find it absolutely delectable.

Pretty soon two more brave souls approached the duo and got the same drink and then so many people started ordering it that Benny had to make four more pots of the stuff.

"Gotta be honest, I thought I would have to ban you like last, mate. Glad everything turned out fine in the end." Admitted the blue demon as he looked at the collective bill of the mob.

"Ha! That incident was hardly my fault." Alastor proclaimed defiantly with a smirk.

"You broke my telly, mate." Benny reminded the radio demon while tallying how much he should add to the bill.

"Maybe your television was acting like an idiot." Alastor said as he looked at the space previously occupied by the instrument of his enemy's influence before taking another sip from his beverage.

Benny sighed a bit, before finishing his drink. There was no way to tell if Vox had anything to do with the incident since he wasn't present in the pub at the time, so there was nothing that could be done. In the end the radio demon ended up with a month-long ban.

"Let's change the subject, shall we? Tell me about this job you are so excited about. I just can't picture someone like you working shifts." Though the mental image entertained the Benny a bit. He imagined the radio demon chasing unpaying tenants around with his voodoo magic.

"Nothing like that, my friend. It's not that kind of hotel. Haven't you heard about the project of our dear princess?"

"You don't mean…"

" _A Hotel that rehabilitates sinners!"_ The excited voice of Lucifer's daughter exclaimed from Alastor's microphone like a recording with a bit of radio static in the background.

"You are full of surprises today. Don't tell me you of all people want to have a go on this whole redemption business." Benny said as his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

"Hahaha, don't be ridiculous, we both know that there's no way either of us is leaving Hell, it's just a bit of entertainment to make this eternity feel just a bit shorter." Alastor said with an amused voice, he could hardly wait for the first customers to show up.

"Well, as least now I'll know, what happened when the people go missing at that place. Another drink, mate?" Benny asked when he noticed, that Alastor's cup was empty.

"A Sazerac, please."

"Coming right up, mate."

Alastor had a few more drinks and after a while most of the customers left either to call it a day or to continue their celebration in a nearby strip club.

However, after the drinks the radio demon's smile slowly shrunk into a small grin, which was extremely unnatural for anyone, who knew him personally. Something also slowly manifested in his voice, an emotion that was hard to place.

"You okay, Al? You look kinda lost, mate." Said Benny after watching the overlord stare at his drink for the last minute without touching it once.

"No, just… bored." Alastor said without any of his previous energy in his voice.

"Well I can put on some music if you like, there are some darts somewhere…"

"No. Not like that… It's just that there is nothing new happening around here." Alastor said thoughtfully, carefully selecting his words.

"You are in hell, mate. Don't you think there's enough chaos around?" Asked Benny with a slight scoff in his voice.

"No, what I mean is, that the chaos just gets old. Sure, every day there is a new serial killer on the street and Extermination once a year, but it's like a sea."

"A sea?" Benny asked a bit confused by the demon's comparison. It's hard to come up with any similarities between a hellscape and a large body of water.

"Yes, you know… when you live near the sea, you just start to ignore the waves after a while."

"Can't really see a difference in that regard, mate. Anything gets old if you do it too much."

"Yes, but when I was still kicking, there were always at least a dozen policemen, trying to corner me and every crime I did filled me with nervousness and that oh so sweet beautiful excitement..." Alastor said as he looked up from his glass and once again made eye contact with the pubkeeper.

He still remembered those times fondly, there was always this sense of ever-present danger, but now, when those stakes had disappeared with his demise so did the excitement stemming from it. He tried everything he could to regain it, challenging some of the most powerful overlords, that Hell had to offer and constantly one upping himself in brutality, however nothing worked.

Benny has hardly ever seen Alastor like this, but it seems that the phrase "in vino veritas" reigns supreme even among the occupants of hell.

"…but now there is nothing more to achieve, everyone is terrified of me and there is hardly anyone left willing to have a friendly conversation. What a degradation of basic decency."

"That's what happens, when you turn people into weird voodoo skin puppets and have them attack overlords. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies." Said Benny as he felt his body go through a few short trembles thanks to his graphic memories.

"Perhaps." The radio demon admitted as he downed his last drink and got up from his seat.

"Say, would you mind if I sent Husker over so he can learn how to prepare that wonderful drink? It could really bring some people to the hotel." Alaster asked as he straightened his red hair.

"No problem mate, just make sure he won't try to run off with my Macallan whisky like last time."

"Can't give you any promises, friend."

"Best of luck in your new job. Hope you enjoy it." The pubkeeper wished the demon as Alastor walked to the door.

"Oh, believe me, I will." Alastor said and left the pub, stumbling a bit with every step he took. All of his costumers were relieved by the overlord's departure, yet Benny's own thoughts were focused on what the radio demon proclaimed.

"… _don't be ridiculous, we both know that there's no way either of us is leaving Hell…"_ Alastor's words replayed a few times inside Benny's mind like a broken record. He had come to the same realization several decades ago, but the thought still caused some discomfort somewhere deep inside his very soul.

"Well, you got that right." He said more to himself than to anyone else as he poured a shot of brandy only to down it a second later.

* * *

**This chapter was suggested by a fanfiction user Not A Shady Guy, thanks for the suggestion mate.**

**Next up we have Vaggie.**


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